Egress windows for basement bedrooms in Algonquin, Illinois
A basement bedroom needs its own escape window, big enough to climb out of. We can measure and plan it any time of year, and dig the well once the ground has thawed.
Serving Algonquin, Crystal Lake, St. Charles, Geneva and Vernon Hills.
Do you need an egress window?
- You want to turn part of the basement into a bedroom
- You’re finishing the basement and someone will sleep down there
- Your basement windows are small, high and hard to open
- You’re not sure whether the window you have already counts
What’s included
A check against the code
Clear opening, height, width and sill height, measured against your town’s code edition. Under the 2018 code Algonquin and Crystal Lake build to, an opening below ground level needs at least 5 square feet.
The opening
Cut or enlarged in the foundation wall where the window you have is too small.
The window
An egress window set in the new opening and sealed.
The window well
Dug outside the window, with room to climb out.
The permit
Part of the job, like the rest of a basement finish.
How it works
- 1
We measure, any time of year
The window you have, the wall it sits in and the room it serves, checked against the code.
- 2
You get a written estimate
The window, the well and the permit, priced and itemized, with a date for the digging.
- 3
The ground thaws
The state climatologist has recorded frost about 30 inches down in far northern Illinois, so digging waits for spring. The rest of the basement can be finished around the window in the meantime.
- 4
The well is dug and the window goes in
The opening is cut or enlarged, the window set and the well put in outside it.
How it’s priced
We price an egress window after we’ve seen the wall and the yard. The digging, the wall and the size of the window move the price most.
If you have a quote that seems far higher or lower, ask what is included: the well, the cutting and the permit can each be in or out. Your written estimate lists all three.
What moves the price
- How deep the well has to go
- The wall, and whether the opening has to be cut or only enlarged
- The size of the window and the well
- What is in the way outside, such as a patio, a deck or planting
You get a written, itemized estimate after we’ve looked, and nothing starts until you’ve signed it.
What can happen now, and what waits for spring
Any time of year
- The visit and the measurements
- The written estimate, and a date for the digging
- Finishing the rest of the basement around the future window
Once the ground thaws
- Digging the well, cutting the opening and setting the window, once the ground has thawed
Why us for this job
Planned with the room
The window is planned with the layout of the basement, so nothing gets framed where the opening needs to go.
We say what waits for spring
Frozen ground can’t be dug properly. We book the digging for spring rather than sell it in January.
Measured against the code first
Opening size, height, width and sill height are checked on the first visit, before you pay for a window that doesn’t count.
Questions about egress windows
Does a basement bedroom need an egress window?
Yes. Code requires an escape opening in each basement bedroom, not just one for the whole basement.
What size does an egress window have to be?
Under the 2018 code that Algonquin and Crystal Lake build to, an opening below ground level needs at least 5 square feet of clear opening (5.7 for most openings above ground), at least 24 inches high and 20 inches wide, with the sill no more than 44 inches above the floor. Your town’s code edition decides the exact figure.
Does my basement window already count as an egress window?
Measure the opening with the window fully open. If it meets the code’s size, height, width and sill numbers and there is room outside to climb out, it may already count. We check it on the first visit.
Can you install an egress window in winter?
The digging can’t be done in frozen ground, so we measure and book in winter and dig in spring. The rest of the basement can be finished around it.
Related services
Basement waterproofing
Finding where water gets in, and interior drain tile to stop it at the floor-wall joint.
Foundation crack repair
Leaking cracks sealed from inside, in weather down to about 40°F.
Basement finishing
Framing, insulation, drywall, flooring and lighting, with the ceiling height measured first.
From the blog
All basements articlesBasements · Code and permits
Illinois egress window code for a basement bedroom, plain English
What the 2018 building code requires for a basement bedroom’s escape window: size, sill height and the window well outside it.
Basements · Cost guide
What drives basement finishing cost beyond square footage?
Why two basements of the same size can need different budgets, and how to compare scope before choosing finishes.
Basements · Seasonal
Can foundation cracks be fixed in an Illinois winter
Most crack repair does not wait for spring. What has to wait is digging, and why temperature, not the calendar, decides the rest.
Water down there, or ready to finish it?
Tell us what’s going on. We’ll come out, find the cause, measure and give you a written estimate.
Someone from our team calls or texts to set up a visit.